Man gets 30 years for 5 killings

Man gets 30 years for 5 killings

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a New Orleans man to 30 years in prison for a guilty plea in five killings, including that of an off-duty New Orleans police officer.

District Judge Sarah Vance said she accepted the plea agreement for 27-year-old Steven Earl Hardrick, of New Orleans, because there was an unacceptable risk that he might walk free if the case were tried.

When Hardrick apologized to victims’ families, several members walked out.

He pleaded guilty in December to five of 17 counts against him. Four charges cover all five killings, including that of detective Thelonius Dukes during a home invasion.

Vance also ordered Hardrick to pay $14,000 in restitution to the family of victim Dwayne Landry. Prosecutor Elizabeth Privitera said Landry’s family was the only one that applied.